Strengthening Collaborative Conservation for Working Ranch Lands, Water and Wildlife: A State Conservation Fund for Montana
Abstract
Currently, Montana does not have a state conservation fund (SCF), a funding
mechanism designed to fund and strengthen collaborative conservation projects. Recent
publications, including the State’s Comprehensive Fish & Wildlife Strategy suggest
that strengthening collaborative conservation on private lands is essential to the
survival of many imperiled species and communities. Recently, Montana’s Department
of Fish, Wildlife & Parks has shown greater interest in creating more voluntary, incentive-based
programs to address non-game wildlife and habitat conservation on private lands.
In this research, I use qualitative market research to evaluate the feasibility of
a state conservation trust for Montana using state conservation funds (SCF) from three
other states (Nebraska, North Carolina and Wyoming) as exemplars. I interviewed 18
individuals, many of whom were involved in collaborative conservation. Interviewees
had professional backgrounds in ranching, game and land conservation, state natural
resource agencies, industry/agricultural trade associations and watershed committees.
From this work, I suggest specific techniques to conserve and provide sustainability
for working agricultural lands, to address water efficiency and to use voluntary measures
to protect prioritized species and habitats.
I also conduct a comparative case study of the creation of North Carolina’s Clean
Water Management Trust Fund to consider whether the origins of this Fund have implications
for the creation of an SCF in Montana. However, I found that current conditions
in Montana are not analogous to those in North Carolina. Problems such as wildfire
and drought are serious but most respondents didn’t feel that these issues had reached
a critical mass of statewide concern. Overall, there was a general consensus by interviewees
on what needs a Montana SCF could address and how it should be governed and administered.
However, these issues as well as identifying potential funding mechanisms will require
more research and a strong coalition of interested parties.
Type
Master's projectPermalink
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/1032Citation
Varley, Ian (2009). Strengthening Collaborative Conservation for Working Ranch Lands, Water and Wildlife:
A State Conservation Fund for Montana. Master's project, Duke University. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/1032.Collections
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